Gathering attachment for sewing machines



GATHERING ATTACHMENT FOR smwme MACHINES Filed April 15, 1959 INVENTOR.

rgcwdsu ATTORNEY.

G. BRAF 5 2,295,255

Patented Sept. 8, 1942 GATHERING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES GerhardBraf, Glendale, N. Y.

Application April 15, 1939, Serial No. 268,097

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in attachments forsewing machines, but more specifically to an attachment adapted to besecured to a conventional sewing machine and to be operated thereby forstitching together by a single line of stitching the edges of two piecesof goods, the edge of one piece of goods, during the stitchingoperation, being gatherable or plain at the option of the operator. Theattachment is so constructed that where the two pieces of goods are fedthrough the machine at the same rate, the resultant work is plain andnot gathered. However, in many instances, it is desired to have portionsof the second piece of goods (where it is stitched to a plain or hemmedpiece) gathered, and other portions stitched plain.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the invention to provide anattachment preferably having the conventional hemming device thereon,the said attachment having a lever conveniently located so that theoperator may quickly flip the same from one position to a secondposition or vice versa. When the lever is in one position, one piece ofgoods is hemmed and plain stitched to a second piece, and when the leveris in the second position, the second piece of goods is gathered as thehemmed piece is stitched thereto.

n machines equipped with th new and improved attachment herein shown anddescribed, it is no longer necessary to transfer work from a machinedoing plain stitching to a second machine to take care of gatheringoperations. This expedites the work, saves time, and eliminates extrahandling.

Other objects and advantages will be obvious to those skilled in theart.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates'one embodiment of theinvention, by way of example:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the attachment and its relation to the work(the machine being omitted for clarity) Figure 2 is a side elevation ofthe device at-,

tached to the presser bar of a sewing machine;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device and its relation to thesewing machine needle; and

Figure 4 is a rear view of the device showing the lever in one positionin solid lines and its other position indicated in dot-dash lines.

The numeral Ill indicates the conventional head of a commercial sewingmachine having the presser foot shaft or bar II and the needle bar l2carrying a needle I3. The base plate l4 carries the usual throat plateH: which has the usual hole for the needle to pass through and has theusual slots, one of which is designated by the numeral l6, through whichthe feeder I! may project, the feeder being provided with teeth forfeeding the fabric through the machine.

A bar [8, secured to the base 14, has a notch 2| formed therein, and thebobbin case l9 has a finger 20 which is positioned in said notch whensaid case is positioned on the stud 22 of the shuttle shaft, and it isretained thereon by a finger 23. The shuttle 24 operates in the usualwell known manner.

The feeder I1 is reciprocated horizontally (from right to left and backas viewed in Figure 2) giving two of the four motions, and moved up anddown in the vertical plane by a cam on the shuttle shaft. A tail 25extends from the feeder l1, and a spring 26 between the end thereof andthe base plate It urges the back of the feeder against said cam.

The new and improved hammer, generally designated by the numeral 21consists of a body portion 28 having a slotted lug 29 adapted to besecured to the bar II by the usual screw Ha. The body 28 extendsdownwardly and has a portion 30 spaced apart from the feeding area and aportion 3| which is maintained in the feeding area and acts as a presserfoot. Attention is directed to the fact that the presser foot 3|cooperates with the feeder I! to act upon fabrics before they reach theneedle l3.

Formed integral with the presser foot 3| and extending forwardly thereof(to the right as viewed in Figure 2) is a hem scroll 32 for folding thehem into the fabric 33, and secured to the lower edge of the scroll andextending into the interior thereof is an apron 35 over which the fabric33 may be fed.

An arm 36 extends downwardly and rearwardly from the body 28, and aspring 31 having one end secured to the upper surface of the scroll 32is conformed to clear the portion 30 and has a flat portion 38 which isnormally spaced apart from the feeding area, and the free end portion ofthis spring, designated by the numeral 39 presses against a cam member40 pivotally mounted on .the end of the arm 33 by a screw 4|. The cam 43has formed integrally therewith a lever 42. When the lever 42 is in theposition shown in solid lines, the surface 43 is in contact with the end39 ,of the spring 31, and since the surface 43 is a short distance fromthe pivot 41, the fiat portion 38 which may be termed an auxiliarypresser foot, is out of the range of the feeding zone.

When the lever 42 is thrown to the position shown in dot-dashlines, thesurface 44 is brought into engagement with the end 39 of the spring 31causing the auxiliary presser foot 38 to descend to a position in linewith the bottom of the presser foot 3| (into the feeding zone) with theresult that the fabric is fed to the needle by the presser foot 3| andis fed away from the needle at the same rate by the auxiliary presserfoot 33.

When both presser feet are in the feeding zone as just described, thefabric 33 has a hem turned in and it is plainly stitched to the fabric34. When the plain stitching has advanced to a point where it is desiredthat the fabric 34 be gathered as it is stitched to the hemmed fabric33, the lever is turned to a position permitting the auxiliary presserfoot 38 to raise out of the feeding zone (the position shown in solidlines). This allows the presser foot 3| to deliver fabric 34 to theneedle with the result that folds form in the fabric and these folds orgathers are stitched together as the hem in the fabric 33 is stitched.

A hole 45 is formed at the rear of the scroll 32 through which the.needle I3 may pass. A thumb screw 46 is threaded into .the arm 35 andcarries on its shank a spring 4.! for retaining the screw at anysetting. The screw may act upon the spring 31 independently of the camwhere it is desired to retain a certain adjustment over. a long periodof time. The screw is retracted to allow the spring to assume its normalposition if the lever 42 is used, or it may be used to vary the normalposition.

While a simple embodiment of the invention is shown, the inventionshould not be. limited to such showing except insofar as set forth inthe appended claims.

I wish it understood that the construction described is equallyapplicable to a machine having more than one needle. It is to bevobserved that where a single piece of fabric is-used, a plain line ofstitching is effected when the auxiliary presser foot is in engagingposition with the feeding area and when the auxiliary presser foot isout of engagement with the feeding area, the plain line of stitching isconverted into a gathering along the line of stitching.

The device described operates regardless of the nature of stitch madewhether it be a chain or look stitch.

I claim:

1. In an attachment for sewing machines having a needle and feedingmeans, a presser foot engaging said feeding means ahead of said needle,a spring member secured at the front end of the presser foot and havingan intermediate depressed portion normally out of engagement with thefeeding means and being behind said needle, lever operated cam meansengageable with the rear end of said spring member to lower theintermediate depressed portion into engagement with said feeding meansfor plain stitching, the intermediate depressed portion when normallyout of engagement with the feeding means effecting a gathering along theline of stitching.

2. In an attachment for sewing machines having a needle and feedingmeans, hemming means,

a presser foot engaging said feeding means ahead of said needle, aspring member secured atthe front end of the presser foot and having ade, pressed portion behind said needle, the said depressed portion beingnormally out of engagement with the feeding means, and lever operatedcam means operative to move said depressed pore .tion into engagementwith the feeding means.

GERHARD BRAE.

